Tinu Estel: A Spark of Hope
by Slytherin Mara
Summary: This is a post war of the rings, apocalyptic AU story. Right now it only has Elladan and an OC, but later on it will defintely have Elrohir, Galadriel, Celeborn, and Elrond. Rated R to be safe cause it made my skin crawl to write some of this!
1. Torture

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Disclaimer: **I do not own LOTR or any thing affiliated with Tolkien enterprises!**

Notes: So, just a few things here . . . Dunno if I'll continue this fic or not, but Telepiel told me how fantastic it is (lol . . . No ego problem here! Lol), and that I should post it, so here it is! I read a few post-LOTR stories like this and got lots of ideas floating around inside my little brain - I don't know how I'm going to keep track of four stories, but the bloody bunrondae would not leave me alone with this one, so I wrote it down and let them have their fun! For those of you who don't know - and that's probably everyone except Telepiel! lol - Bunrondae are like plot bunnies, except they attack without mercy and slaughter the innocent! lol

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In this fic, Galadriel and Elrond and anybody else that I happen to mention that should not be there never got to the Undying Lands! This is a really, really alternate universe! That said, let's get on with the show!

Laeriel sat in her cell on the stone bench along the farthest wall. Her posture was rigid, her appearance ragged, her long rich brown hair was in a single messy braid at the back of her head, and her hazel eyes cold and unfeeling, stared unblinking at nothing. Her elegant elvish clothing was now torn and tattered, the elegant cut and colour of the tunic and trousers now all but faded. Her left arm was covered with a fresh bandage.

If she were to look out her window, she would see a cold and dark landscape, covered with dead plants, trees, and animals, not to mention the pit grave located only a few hundred meters from her cell. The air was thick with the smell of pain and death. If she had been listening, she would have heard the screams of her kin and of the other folk of Middle-Earth being tortured, for the air was also filled with the sounds of pain and death.

She had been in this dank and dreary prison for what she believed to be nearly a month, though it was hard to count the passing of time when the days were just as dark as the nights. In that month she had been tortured for information countless times, each time she was asked the same questions, and each time she refused to answer. As a result every inch of her slender body was covered in cuts, bruises, and burns.

At first the torture had been agonizing, but now she saw it as a way to know she was still alive, and, somehow, that thought gave her hope. She had information the Dark Lord needed, and until he got it, she would remain alive, and being alive meant that he had not found the others.

In the last few weeks, she had lost almost everyone she knew at the prison - one by one they were being mercilessly slaughtered in a desperate effort to get the valuable information from her.

Now another of her friends was dragged in front of her cell by one of the guards - a man the Dark Lord had easily corrupted, for he had not been overly virtuous in the first place - but still she did not blink or even acknowledge their presence.

"Are you ready to lose another?" the man laughed, placing his blade at the _ellon_'s throat.

The look in the elf's eyes begged her to save him, but she could not. She just remained staring blankly ahead as the guard slowly, torturously drew his blade across the elf's throat. As the _ellon_ fell dead in front of her, Laeriel swallowed her tears and all the emotion welling within her. 'I cannot tell them,' she reminded herself.

She let go of her conscious thoughts and drifted back in her memory as the _ellon_'s body was dragged away by the cackling man. She remembered the last time she had been outside the prison walls. The Dark Lord had ordered her released in the hopes that she would run to the very elves he was trying to find. But Laeriel was too intelligent to run home - she knew what he wanted and was not about to give it to him. Instead she had lived in what had remained of Ithilien, free for a grand total of five days before being recaptured when the Dark Lord realized she would not return home.

Her thoughts then drifted to her home - the sanctuary that Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn had created for the elves and a few select others such as King Elessar and his family. It was hidden from all eyes, and could only be found by those who knew its secrets. She would not give up the location of the Lord and Lady, she would not give up where her elven kin had retreated to, she would not give up. Though she did not know how or why, hope had remained in her heart and she would not let go of it.

She remembered the end of the War of the Ring, remembered how everyone had believed they were safe - they could not have been more wrong. Somehow Morgoth had been able to revive Sauron, and once again he terrorized Middle-Earth from his seat in Barad-dur.

Few had ever seen the Dark Lord, and even fewer had lived to tell about it. But only what might have been either two days or two hours ago to Laeriel, she was brought before the Dark Lord in one of the most frightening encounters she had ever experienced. He had asked her where her Lord and Lady were hiding, and she refused to answer. He had asked her the whereabouts of King Elessar, and once again she did not answer. Sauron and the minions that had surrounded him seemed stunned by the fact that Laeriel had not been intimidated into giving him the information he wanted. After a time he had become so enraged when she refused to answer him that he grabbed her left wrist and held her lower arm over a nearby fire, screaming questions at her while he burnt her. Laeriel had screamed until her throat was raw, and he released her. She was so far gone that she had not even shed any tears at the pain. He had ordered her arm be taken care of, then had her thrown back into her cell.

So now she sat alone in her small cell, wincing imperceptibly at the occasional rushes of pain shooting through her arm. She heard one of the doors opening, but again did not move.

"Welcome to your new home, my lord," one of the guards taunted. Judging by the voice, this guard was another human.

"What's the matter?" the other guard - an orc - hissed at the prisoners. "Won't bow to the lord of Imladris?"

A sudden panic and fear gripped Laeriel as she shot up from her spot and ran to the front of her cell, right hand gripping one of the bars. She looked through and saw a beaten, but still proud Elladan being lead toward her cell. 'Oh, please, no,' she thought. 'Don't let them use him, by Elbereth, please.' Her expression did not betray her panic, however, but remained neutral and uncaring.

Before the guards noticed that she was up, Laeriel ran quickly back to the bench and sat in the same spot and position as before. When the guards brought Elladan to her cell, she was pleased to note that he did not even acknowledge her presence, but continued to stare at nothing, a confident smirk on his face. Did he have a plan?

The human guard unlocked Laeriel's cell and unceremoniously shoved the lord inside. "You can keep _her_ company," he told Elladan as he shoved him.

Elladan, however, remained unaffected by all this as he came to an abrupt stop after being shoved. His demeanor did not change, nor did he move. He simply stood in the middle of the cell, smirking.

For her part, Laeriel did not move, nor did she speak or even blink. And she continued to do so as the guards taunted her and Elladan.

"Neither of them talk," the man laughed. "Wonder if the young lord'll hold out as long as the she-elf, or if he'll break right away!" The orc and the human laughed at them, but still neither moved.

Laeriel winced inwardly, but did not allow it to show through - she knew Elladan would never break and it pained her to think of what they would do to him.

"We'll know soon enough, I'll wager," the orc sneered as he and the man left Laeriel and Elladan alone.

As soon as they were alone, Elladan walked forward to where Laeriel sat, a question in his eyes. She responded by shaking her head tightly, almost imperceptibly. In a place such as the one they were in, even the walls had ears and any conversation they might have would be unwise.

Elladan had gathered her meaning and sat down beside her, using every ounce of strength he had to ignore the bandage on her arm and the other injuries he could see. He did not even wish to think about the ones he could not see.

They sat side by side in silence, each comforted by the presence of the other, but neither allowing their expressions or body language to betray that comfort.


	2. Memories and Escaping

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Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR or any thing affiliated with Tolkien enterprises!

Okies, so I'm continuing this one! lol! Anyway, here's the elvish:

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Gerich veleth nin - "I love you" (lit. you have my love)

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Meleth nin - "my love"

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Adar - "father"

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Nâ pen-theled si, bedim - "it does not matter anymore, we are leaving" (lit. It is without meaning now, we go)

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Henion - "I understand"

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Elleth - female elf

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Ellon - male elf

Thanks to gwendeth over on CoE for the translation help! Gwen's my hero! ^_^ lol

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Notes: I know this chapter is a little on the romantic side, actually so is the next one, but I promise it'll pick up soon! I have a lot of ideas tumbling around in my little brain, and hopefully it won't take too long to get them all written out and posted, but we'll see how it goes! I hope you guys like this chapter as much as the other one! ~ Celeb Gwilwileth ~

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As the hours passed, Laeriel allowed her mind to drift to memories of happier times. She remembered the last day she and Elladan had spent in peace and happiness all those years ago. In those days she had been nothing more than your average _elleth_, and nobody, not even she herself, could have even guessed that she would become the hardened warrior she was now.

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Laeriel sat on a wooden bench in the garden of Imladris singing a tuneful melody to herself as she watched the stars fade and the sun rise. Her long brown hair, which was worn down, shone in the twilight, and was decorated with occasional braids and small flowers. A happy glint could be seen in her sparkling hazel eyes as she stared up at the colourful canopy of fading stars and rising sunlight. She wore a beautiful silver trimmed rich blue dress with ties at the back that caused the dress to hug her body in just the right way.

She chuckled gaily as a small yellow bird sat next to her and began to twitter. Another smile graced her fair features when the small bird perched on the finger she held out for him. Stroking the birds feathers, Laeriel began to sing to it, seemingly to the bird's delight as its happy chirping became more insistent. She was so engrossed with the beautiful little bird that she did not hear Elladan as he approached.

"It seems that we elves are not the only ones who appreciate your wonderful voice, Laeriel," Elladan chuckled lightly from a short distance away.

"Elladan!" she exclaimed, startled by the voice, as she turned to face him. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Only a moment, my lady," he assured her. He was dressed in a light brown tunic, and dark brown pants. His dark brown hair was tied back with braids that extended from his temples to meet at the back of his head, and his grey eyes flashed with happiness.

The young lord sat down beside her, and began stroking the birds feathers as well, cooing happy words to it.

They spent the rest of the day together, as well as the night, for that night was a night of feasting and song in the Hall of Fire.

After the celebration, Elladan and Laeriel returned to the bench they had been seated on that morning, and watched the stars. Though at the time she did not know the reason, Laeriel clung tightly to Elladan that night, knowing only that something felt wrong. Her arms encircled his waist, and she buried her head in his chest.

Suddenly she felt his fingers under her chin, tilting her head up to look into his beautiful grey eyes. For a while neither one moved or spoke as they gazed into one another's eyes. Then Elladan leaned towards her and captured her lips in a passionate kiss - their first.

When they pulled apart their eyes were filled with a strange almost unnatural fire and passion. Neither knew what urgency and passion driven them that night, but they somehow found their way to Laeriel's bedroom, and made love.

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When Elladan awoke a short time later, he looked to the sleeping elleth_ on his right and reached out to caress her face. His gentle touch had awoken Laeriel, who offered him a lazy, but content smile. They laid next to each other, the sheets only coming up to their waists, and simply smiled happily at one another for a few moments before Elladan broke the silence._

"I must go, meleth nín, before somebody discovers me here." He leaned forward and captured her lips in a hungry, passionate kiss, using his right arm to brace himself as he hovered over her, his left hand resting gently on her hip. Then he pulled back and trailed kisses down her neck, between her breasts, and down to her belly button, which he teased for only a moment before bringing his lips back to her mouth, all the while his hands had remained in the same position. When he pulled back to stare at her he smiled, then kissed the tip of her nose. "Gerich veleth nín," he whispered.

Laeriel smiled as she watched him running around her room looking for where his clothes had fallen earlier that night. She watched him dress with love in her eyes, her smile never fading. "Meleth nín," she whispered.

Once he had dressed, Elladan crossed the room and sat beside her on the bed, while Laeriel sat up. His right hand found its way to her hip, while his left hand cupped her cheek. "I shall see you in the morning, meleth nín." He planted a tender kiss on her lips, then stood and crossed the room to her door. "Until tomorrow," he bid her with a smile as he left her room.

Laeriel smiled and whispered to the door, "until tomorrow." She dressed in her night clothes and returned to the comfort of her bed.

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Once again, Laeriel felt consciousness begin to beckon her. She tried to ignore it until she heard an unfamiliar voice - someone was in her room. Her eyes flew open, and she screamed at the sight that greeted her - an orc face hovering above her. She pushed the orc with a strength she never knew she had and scrambled out of her bed on the other side. It was then that she saw the other orc, it was then that she began to wonder how one orc, let alone two, had gotten into Imladris, and it was then that she finally remembered the terrible feeling that had taken her earlier in the garden. Her heart sank as she looked around her room for a way out, only to realize that she had to go through the two orcs.

She looked frantically around her room for anything she could use as a weapon, and settled on the wooden chair nearby. She grabbed the chair and swung it with all her might at the orcs, sending them toppling to the ground, then ran to her door. As she reached the door, she felt one of the orcs gripping her ankle, and she frantically tried to pull herself free from its grasp. When she realized that tugging was not working, she kicked backward with all her might, and was rewarded with a satisfying crack as her foot connected with the orc's face - the result of the orc's pulling and her kicking. Then she ran out the door, pulling it shut behind her and trying not to think about what the orcs might have had planned for her, and ran toward Elladan's room.

As she rounded a corner, she felt her body come into contact with another body. Assuming it was another orc, Laeriel closed her eyes, screamed and raised her fists when it grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Laeriel," she heard Elladan's voice calling.

She looked up and saw that it was Elladan that had grabbed her, and collapsed into his arms in relief. "How could orcs have gotten into the city?" she asked, though the question came out muffled as her head was buried in the shoulder of his tunic.

"I do not know, meleth nín," he replied, kissing the top of her head. "We must go, though. They have overrun Imladris, and adar has ordered his guards to defend the palace while we escape."

"The guards are not to come with us?" she gasped as she pulled back to look in his eyes - she could not imagine leaving them behind.

"We shall travel to the Golden Wood, where we shall be safe," he said, trying to distract her from the though of leaving the guards behind. "I promise, meleth nín." Elladan kissed her quickly, then lead her to where his family would be waiting, and away from Imladris.

Now Imladris was nothing more than a wasteland, overrun by orcs and uruk-hai and goblins, among other foul things. The once lovely and elegant house of Elrond now burnt to cinders, the lush forest cut down until only a few tree trunks remained scattered about, the elves gone. The lovely garden where Laeriel and Elladan had sat was now nothing more than a memory. How different not just Laeriel, but everyone, had been before that night, how happy, how idealistic - that night when Laeriel had lost her purity and her innocence in more ways than one. But it comforted her to know she had gained something infinitely more important in the form of Elladan.

Laeriel slowly opened her eyes again as the sounds of screaming brought her back to the cruel, torturous reality she now lived in. She became immediately alarmed when she realized that Elladan was not beside her. Her alarm, however, faded when she noticed him at the front of the cell, picking the lock.

Slowly curiosity replaced panic as she started to realize that the screams she was hearing were not screams of pain, but battle cries. Elated by the possibility of escape, Laeriel hopped up on the bench and looked out the window to see a legion of men, elves, and dwarves attacking the prison.

She hopped back off the bench and stared at Elladan as he continued trying to pick the lock. The sounds of battle spilled into the jail, and just down the hall Laeriel heard someone asking the whereabouts of Lord Elladan. A smile - her first one in weeks - crept its way onto her face as a realization dawned, and she continued to gaze at Elladan. Somehow, even in the gravest of circumstances, Elladan was always able to make her smile. "Your escape plan was to be rescued?" she chuckled.

"It worked, did it not?" he responded cheekily as the bars finally swung open and he turned to smile at her. "And it took less than a day."

"I have never been able to tell how much time passes here," Laeriel muttered, her gaze travelling to the ground.

"_Nâ pen-theled si, bedim_," he assured her as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. He was rewarded for his reassurance when Laeriel smiled faintly at him.

"Lord Elladan!" one of the elves called as he neared. "We must go!"

Elladan nodded and grabbed Laeriel's hand, following the elf from the prison. Though it pained them, they knew that they could not take the other prisoners with them as they fled. Pleas for help and mercy arose throughout the prison as the other prisoners noticed the escape. But their pleas fell ears that were forced to shut them out as the trio of elves made to escape.

As they wound their way through the halls, they say all manner of beings in heated battle. Sometimes it was hard to tell who was on their side and who was not, as beings from every race, except elves, were on both sides of the conflict.

Laeriel slowed, but did not stop, as she noticed bodies of people she knew littering the halls of the prison, but Elladan wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her along with him.

"We cannot linger," he whispered into her ear as he urged her forward.

"_Henion_," she replied as she shook off her sadness and resumed running. 

When they were almost out of the prison, sounds of battle cries and clanging metal arose from behind them.

"Those that stayed behind have freed the prisoners to draw their attention away from us," the elf in front of them explained as he lead them stealthily through the prison yard. They ran until they met another elf and two humans, who lead them away from the prison, toward Emyn Muil. The elf and humans had been chosen for the mission because they were the only ones able to navigate through the rock formations.

Anguished screams reached their ears as they ran, knowing that out of all who had been involved in the rescue, only they would survive.

Laeriel felt a single tear slide down her cheek as she thought of those who had fought so bravely to rescue her Elladan being left behind - for she was certain that the rescue mission had not intended to include her. It felt strange to cry, even if it was just one tear, after all she hadn't allowed herself to shed a tear in years.

Suddenly, arrows began whizzing past their heads as the prison guards realized what had happened. Elladan fell back a little and ran behind Laeriel, trying to put himself between her and the arrows, though he knew it would do no good. Just in front of them the elf who had lead them from the prison was felled by an arrow, and Laeriel and Elladan were forced to leap over the _ellon_'s body, and keep running, unable to mourn the loss.

They reached the entrance to Emyn Muil and ran quickly into the rocky maze, attempting to lose their pursuers amongst the jagged stones.


	3. The Calm Before the Storm, Part One

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Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR or any thing affiliated with Tolkien enterprises!

Elvish:

**__**

Na-erui al lû thent: only for a short time

**__**

Le hannon, meleth nín: thank you, my love

**__**

gerich veleth nín: I love you (lit. you have my love)

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Notes: I know it's been a while since my last update! I'm sorry! *cries* The plot bunnies have been avoiding me, and since I think this part can stand on it's own, I decided to divide this chapter into two parts.

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For four days Elladan, Laeriel, and their rescuers attempted to evade the orc horde that hunted them. The elves and humans had split up, hoping to divide the horde's attention and increase the odds of getting Elladan home. After Laeriel's last taste of freedom she was wary of what Sauron might do, and made certain they erased every possible sign of their presence.

When she was finally satisfied that the orcs were no longer pursuing them, Laeriel allowed the two other elves to lead her and Elladan back to Caras Gil-galad, the sanctuary Galadriel had built.

As soon as they entered the city, Elladan was welcomed with open arms by his family. Laeriel stayed back and watched their happy reunion with a smile. Truth be told, she envied Elladan, for she had no true family, she had only Elladan and Elrohir. Even though their family treated her well, they still hesitated to make her a part of it, and, given the times they lived in, Laeriel could not blame them. Her own _ada_ and _naneth_ had left for Valinor even before the war of the ring, and her brother, Hallon, who had been living in Lothlorien, was killed when it was attacked.

The memory of it all was still fresh in her mind. She could recall riding to Lothlorien with Elladan on his horse, recalled seeing her brother once again, recalled her joy, and recalled how short-lived it had been. Only a week after the party from Rivendell had arrived Sauron's forces attacked Lothlorien and annihilated the city and most of its people - including Hallon.

Wrapping her arms around herself sadly, Laeriel left Elladan with his family and walked slowly to the small pool in the middle of Caras Gil-Galad - her favourite spot in all the city. She sat down and trailed the fingers of her right hand through the cool water, smiling as she did so. Even though she was not the only one to ever visit the pool, it somehow felt like her own private haven - the brightly coloured fish in the pool always made her smile, and the singing of the birds calmed her fears, bringing her back to the days she had spent in Imladris. With a content sigh, she laid down on the grass and ran the fingers of her left hand in the water. In that moment all her pain seemed to disappear, and she closed her eyes to let the warm feeling wash over her.

She felt someone else approaching from behind, but did not move, for she was unwilling to let go of the moment. Instead she remained laying beside the pool - fingers in the water, a happy smile on her face, not worried about who was behind her. For the first time in a long time she was truly safe.

"So this is where you went," Elladan murmured as he sat down behind her and ran his fingers gently over her cheek.

Laeriel rolled over so that she was laying on her back, looking up at him and smiling. "You are supposed to be with your family."

"And you are supposed to be with a healer," he retorted with a soft smile as he stroked her hair.

Her smile turned mischievous, though she still managed to keep her look of lazy contentment, and she whispered, "I will not tell anyone, if you do not."

Elladan's gaze shifted to her left arm, where he trailed his fingers gently over the surface of the bandage, then to her stomach as he lifted her tunic. The cuts and bruises covering its surface made Elladan wince.

"I know," Laeriel muttered sadly, reaching up to caress his cheek. "Just a moment longer? I cannot remember the last time I felt so content and safe."

His eyes met hers, her eyes begging him to allow her to stay by the pond. A sadness grew in Elladan's heart as he looked down on the face of the _elleth_ he loved so purely, and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "_Na-erui al lû thent_," he agreed quietly as he laid down beside her, wrapping his arms around her middle and kissing her cheek.

"_Le hannon, meleth nín_," she said with a smile as she closed her eyes, and tried to forget about the outside world.

Elladan's breath tickled her ear, and he whispered, "_gerich veleth nín_."Laeriel's smile grew at his words. In that moment, the darkness of the outside world, all the loss and pain, was forgotten, and all she knew was peace and the warm feeling of Elladan's body next to hers.


End file.
